Base for furnaces, tanks and the like



J. B. FlTZ-GIBBON BASE FOR FURNACES, TANKS, AND THE LIKE Filed Dec.

May 12, 1931.

f A rfa/Mfrs.

Patented May 1.2',l 1931 f i* I UNITso stares PATENT OFFICE JOHN B. FITZ-GIBBON, OF BRIDGEBURG, ONTARIO, CANADA,K'ASSIGNOR 0F ONE-HALF TO DREW M. TI-IORPE, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK" BASE FOR FURNACESK, TANKS THE LIKE y Application filed December 22, 1927. Serial Tio. 241,934..

'"This invention krelates to the construction vof the bases or bottom'sof furnaces or other structures `adapted to r 'contain molten metals, glass or other materials. l

' In r,thelconstruc'tfon of the bottoms or base portions of metallurgical furnaces, of glass furnaces, or' other containers 'for molten materials, y blocks of' refractory material are employed which are'usually laid in courses andwhich are intended to support the molten material. These blocks are subject to `high temperatures which frequently cause cracking,A burning'or disintegration of the blocks, and` it frequently happens that after a few blocks have been worn away, additional bricksadjacentthereto or sometimes practically an entire course of blocks will float tothe top surface of the molten material because yof the greater specific gravity of the molten material than that of the brick.- In this way the bases orl bottoms of containers forl molten 4materials, as now constructed are soon destroyed, involving considerable eX- pense to construct anew bottom or base, and sometimes loss of material due kto lleakage created .byA the floating of blocks to the surface of .the material. A

' The'obje'cts of this invention are to providea bottom for aY containerof this kind which is so constructed that the individual blocks used in the construction of the bottom of the container interlock with each other so that the destruction of one or more of the blocks does not enableother adjacent blocks to float to the top of the molten material; also to produce a base or bottom for containers of this kind'which is made up of interlocking units of comparatively simple form a'ndfwhich caneasily be assembled or built p into a base orfbottom; also to produce a base or bottom of this kind which is constructed to resist the discharge or leak o'fl molten material through thevsame; also to 'improve the construction of the bottoms of furnaces yand other containers in other respects hereinafter specified.

Inthe accompanying drawings, Y Y e Fig. lI is a central sectional elevation of the lower portion-of a furnace provided with a bottom embodying this invention.l

thereof, on an venlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a fragmentary thereof.

` Fig; 4 is a perspective view of one of the blocksor units of the furnace or tank bottom, on an enlarged scale. 1 Y .Y Fig. 5 is a perspective view of another block or unit. f

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a block of modified construction. f

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary, sectional elevation of a furnacejor tank bottom constructed with blocksvas shown in Fig. 6. n y f Fig. 8 is a fragmentary, top planviewvof the furnace or tank bottom shown in Fig, 7. Fig. l illustrates my improved' furnace bot'- tom as applied to a blast furnacesuch as is commonly used in the smelting of iron, but it will be understood that theinventionmay be applied to any other suitable type of container for molten material. rlvhe furnace shown includes an upright cylindrical wall A which rests upon a base B. 1

"In constructingv the base embodying my vinvention I employ blocks, bricks, or units'of any suitable or desired material which are so made that adjacent units interlock with each other in such a manner that destruction of a unit or of a portion of a unit will not cause the dislodging of adjacent units and the floating of the same to the surface of the material in the container.A In the particular construction lshown `in Figs. ltoy 5 inclusive, the bricks or blocks are also so arranged that the top' plan view 'bricks or blocks of two for more courses lof Fig. 2 is al fragmentary sectional elevation i i vhorizontal tiers lmay interlock, so that none 4ofY the blocks of they upper course canbecome dis'- lacedor floated to the surface ofthe materialwhile held. by the blocks ofv a-lower course'. Such ,a structure may bel produced by means of blocks'or bricks of any 'suitable or Vdesired construction which have y portions vwhich interlock or vinterit with corresponding portionsof adjacent blocks. The blocks C and Y D shown in Figs. 1-5' show bv way of example one form or-type'of blocks which may beused 'for thispurpose. Y,The unit C illustrated in Fig.` et includes top and'bottom horizontal Ywalls "orf Surtae lQandii'whieh are' sub stantially flat and parallel to each other, front and rear walls V12 and 13 which are also preferably flat and extend vertically, connecting with the upper and lower surfaces 10 and 11, and opposite side walls 14 and 15 which converge from the opposite top and bottom walls 10'an`d'1'1 toward the middle portion of the block. Consequently the thickness or Width of the block is greatest at the top and bottom'faces 10 and '11j and least at the-middle portion thereof. Y

The block or brick D .shown in Fig. is similar to one-half of the block C. This block has horizontal faces 2O and 21 of which the lface 2() is substantially of the same area as theicross sectional area of the middlel portion of the block C. The horizontal face 21 is substantially the samearea as the faces" and 11 of the block C. The block alsofhas opposite parallel vertical walls 22 and 23 corresponding to half of the horizontal walls 12 and 13 of the blockV C and the walls 24 and Y 25. of the block D converge from the horizontal Walls 21 to the walls 20.

When afurnace or tank bottom is built with the use of blocks of this kind, the blocks C are so arranged that the horizontal walls 10 and 11 of one block will termin-ate at the middle portionofan adjacentblock, as is clearly shownI in Figs. land 2. The base of thefurnace or tank may be built upto any suitable or Ldesired height, that shown Ain the accompanying drawings being built in two horizontal layers or sections, each of which is ofl a height equivalent to twice the height of theblock C, thus formingv an interruption of :the mortar jointsbetween the blocks of Ythe two layers, but it .will 'be obvious that the entire base may be `built in a single layer of greater depthfthan those shown, to the height ofthree ormore of the blocksC. It -will be obvious that if the blocks C alone Wereused, the upperand lower surfacesthereof would not form -acontinuous surface, and con-sequent-ly thehalf or filler blocks C are used at .the Vupper andlower lsurf-acesV of the tier to fill the spacesbetween the blocks C. Y

Bygmaking the blocks C so that the ends fthereofare larger than the intermediate portion, the various bricks or blocks of the bot- -tomcoustruction Vwill be interlocked or dovetailed together; For examplethe blocks D usedfinthe upper portion of the bottom as illustrated vin Fig.` 2 are held V`from floating upwardly lbecause of the fact that the blocks C at opposite sidesof each block D have their -upper portions of greater size-.than their Iintermediate 'portions and consequently the `blocks Dl are gripped or held by the blocks C andcannot riseto the surface .of the material v-'ontained inthe furnaceor container.` In

a.; similar fmanner the blocks C `which termi- -fate on;the uppersurfaceof the bottom shown in. Figs. VlV and12 cannot rise tothesurface for the @asesinartheloaerfporuons.thereof of the-lowerblocks C of the layer, and also these intermediate blocks C would hold the remaining portions of the upper blocks D of the layer. Consequently it will be obvious that the bricks or blocks of the bottom construction cannot be floated to the 4topof the surface ofthe material contained inthe tank orfurnace. In other words, the blocks vof one course are dovetailed int-o the adjacent horizontalcourse or courses and consequently .are held in their correct positions. Without depending upon mortar or other bonding means to vhold them in place. If the layer is to be madeof greater depth than -thatshowm the ylower blocksD shown-in Fig. 2 can, be

`replaced by .the full sized blocks C and the u construction can thus be continued throughoutthe full depth ofthe bottom, if desired. If this; construction is employed-all of the successive courses or tiers of bricks/or bloc/ks of the bottom will be intel-locked one with another, while in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the bricks of one layer are not interlocked with those of anotherr layer. In theseconstructions, however, the blocks of -the two layers are staggered or arranged relatively to each other that the spaces .between blocks of one layer are out of alinement with referencelto the spaces between blocks yof an Vadjacent layer.

In case it-,is desired to construct a furnace bottom in which each course or .tler 1s so .arranged with reference to other tiers that the joints between adj acent` bricks 4are staggered 1in adjacent tiers, :as maybe desirablein some instances to prevent the `escape of the molten material, the bricks or blocks .Cshown in Fig.e4 may be alternated ,with bricks `or blocks lE such asi-shown in Fig. 6 to produce the constructionshownin Figs. 7 and 8. The

.block E is substantially similar -to twoblooks of the kind shown'in Fig. n5 arranged end for end with theirv largest horizontal faces v21 adjoining. Consequently the block shown in Fig. 6 has upper and lower horizontal faces V30 and 31, side facesi32 and 33 which lie .in upright planes and side faces 34 and 35 which incline or converge fromthe middle .portions ofthe blocks towardV the opposite ends thereof, or, in other words, toward the upper and lower faces 30 and 31thereof. vA blockiof this kind therefore is of greatest width-at the intermediate portion. thereof andwhenfthe blocks AC are `alternately arranged with vthe blocks E asie-clearly. Shown in. Risate-see# struction is produced which results in an interlocking of the blocks of a course so that each block holds an adjacent block from rising and floating on the surface of the material contained in the furnace or tank. When blocks of this kind are used, the spaces between adjacent bricks or blocks may be staggered with reference to the spaces in adjacent tiers or courses, as clearly shown in Fig. 7.

The blocks described are of simple construction and can be inexpensively manufactured, but it will be understood that blocks of other construction, having one or more 0f their walls provided with parts adapted to interlock with adjacent blocks may be em ployed in place of those shown for the purpose of constructing bottoms for furnaces or containers embodying this invention.

I claim as my invention 1. A bottom for containers of molten materials, including blocks arranged in series of superposed horizontal courses and said blocks having their sides formed to cooperate with thel sides of blocks of an adjacent course for interlocking the blocks of one course with those of another course.

2. A bottom for containers of molten Inaterials, including a series of blocks having the upper portions of their sides formed to interlock with the lower portions of the sides of adjacent blocks, and having the lower portions of their sides formed to interlock with the upper portions of the sides of other blocks, whereby a horizontal course of blocks is interlocked with the course below.

3. A bottom for containers of molten materials, including a series of blocks having their top and bottom portions dovetailed, and arranged to have the blocks of one course fitting betweenblocks of an adjacent course, and blocks of single dovetail form fitting between upper and lower ends of the blocksl ofthe structure to form flat top and bottom surfaces.

4. A furnace of the type adapted to contain molten materials, and having a bottom wall composed of abutting blocks laid side by side and in superposed courses, some of the blocksof one superposed course overrunning some of the blocks of the other course, the vertical faces of the abutting blocks being interlocked with one another in a manner to prevent individual vertical movement of any block, whereby individual blocks cannot be vfloated out of the wall, or the courses separated by 'the buoyancy of the molten mate- -rial in contact therewith.

JOHN B. FITZ-GIBBON. 

